Executive Summary

This report presents the results of a feasibility study to establish a community forest on Haida Gwaii / the Queen Charlotte Islands. This report is intended to assist the Islands Community Stability Initiative (ICSI) in preparing an application to the Ministry of Forests (MoF) for a community forest licence suitable to the Islands Community.

Project Terms of Reference, Scope and Methods

Section 1 outlines the terms of reference, scope and limitations of the report, and the community consultation process. The terms of reference for the project were to consult with the Islands Community on various aspects of the community forest and develop recommendations on the viability of a community forest as well as proposed legal, management and operational structures. To prepare this report, the consultant team relied on information gathered in community consultations as well as published reports provided by ICSI, the MoF, and other stakeholders.

The Community Consultation Process

The community consultation process was carried out in two phases. Members of the consultant team interviewed 37 Islands residents in early February 1998. The consultants tried to reach people from all the different communities and sectors of the Islands Community. Community input was used to prepare a preliminary draft of the community forest feasibility study which was then used to gather further community input in a series of four workshops held in the Islands Community between March 9-13, 1998. Approximately 50 people attended the workshops.